Trump: “US to respond with great force to Iran’s attack” (with video)
President Donald Trump promised today a military response with great force to Iran’s latest attacks against American bases in the Middle East, despite appeals from countries in the region to suspend the hostilities.
“We’re going to hit them very hard because now it’s our turn. They know that’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the White House Oval Office, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack against an American air base in Jordan.
“They fired. Now it’s our turn, and we’ll see if we can reach an agreement at some point. But we’re going to hit them very hard,” he said. Washington believes Iran may also be behind a drone attack against an American vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to Egypt.
“I received information about that. It’s more of the same, but it will be resolved. It will be resolved,” Trump added.
Read more about this topic: Iran fired missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, its first attack since Trump paused strikes. All were intercepted, but the pause may not survive it
The American President said he is receiving requests, allegedly from Iran and from Washington’s allies in the region, to reduce tensions, but assured that he will respond to the most recent attack.
The IRGC argued that the attack constituted “a response to the aggressive actions of the American military” against Iran. “As long as the threats against Iran and the illegal actions of American forces against our interests continue, the resistance will continue,” the IRGC emphasized, quoted by the Fars news agency.
According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), all Iranian missiles were intercepted.
The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out attacks on Tuesday against positions of Iran-aligned terrorist groups in eastern Iraq, in response to more than thirty IRGC-directed drone attacks against American forces and Saudi energy infrastructure over the previous 72 hours, according to CENTCOM.
Read more about this topic: Trump accuses Netanyahu of trying to keep US at war with Iran
The attacks destroyed several logistics and weapons centers, according to CENTCOM, which warned the IRGC and its allies to cease attacks in order to avoid a new American military response.
Iran and the United States had suspended the confrontations over the weekend, following nearly two weeks of daily attacks. The United States carried out the latest wave of bombings against the Islamic Republic on Thursday, on the 13th consecutive day of attacks since the collapse of the ceasefire accepted by both sides in June, meant to halt hostilities and open space for negotiations toward a definitive peace agreement.
The talks are centered on lifting Iran’s military blockade of commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and on Iran’s nuclear program. According to Axios, the negotiations are being developed primarily between Iran and Oman, though Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt and White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also heavily involved.
Trump said Monday that negotiations with Iran have “good chances” of producing results, following several consecutive days of paused attacks against the Islamic Republic. Iran, however, has warned that it is not engaged in any negotiations with the United States, despite the recent cessation of hostilities between the two countries and reports of contacts between Middle Eastern mediating countries and Tehran’s diplomatic corps.
Read more about this topic: Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants over ship attacks
The White House leader, for his part, dismissed any concerns about a potential ammunition shortage following several months of attacks against Iran since the start of the joint Israeli-American offensive on February 28. According to The New York Times, citing two sources close to the matter, the Washington administration is concerned about increasingly limited stocks of Patriot missile systems and other air defense equipment protecting countries in the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, Oman’s Foreign Minister confirmed having held talks with counterparts from Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to discuss a “fair agreement” on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. At the end of June, Oman created, with U.S. support, a temporary fee-free maritime corridor to facilitate passage through the strait. Iran responded with attacks on vessels using that route, which led Washington to intensify bombing on Iranian territory.
